The concept of straddling is kinda weird. Straddles make the game bigger (yet less deep). With a $5 straddle you are essentially playing a 1/2/5 game but with players who are accustomed to playing 1/2. It's like the players way of pushing themselves to the limit of their gamble and momentarily taking themselves out of their comfort zone to play stakes that they would otherwise never agree to sit down at.

I have no clue about the EV of the button straddle, but I definitely view it as bad for the game if you are a grinder. It encourages fish to put money in the pot when in position rather than out of position as an UTG straddle will do. It also makes it far less likely that the preflop raiser will have position postflop.

If other players are straddling the button then I will as well. However, if nobody is straddling the button I'd rather not encourage them to do so.

A hand tonight made me think of the limp-call $45 hand:

Two limps to me in CO. I raise to $15 with 66. limper flats. 2nd limper min c/r's to $30. We both call. BOTH players CHECK DARK before the flop is dealt and fold to a $30 bet on the flop. The old limp-min 3-bet, dark check-fold strategy

I'm trying to really pin down math to try to make more accurate reads. When trying to sniff out sets, I know they're going to flop them 12% of the time or bink them on turn 4.5% of the time. So, I try to combine the statistical probability of them having a set with their actions and reads.

If someone flops two pair with their ace-rag against my big ace only 1% of the time (I still don't know the exact number), I might just consider that a cooler and ignore it; but as the percentages get higher, you have to consider them more. The odds of them binking their kicker on the turn of river is easier to calculate and a more likely occurrence at 6.6%. In fact, I do find it easier to fold hands when someone turns two pair rather than flops it.

I think you already kinda have your answer in your ridiculous HH: a lot of these opponents will simply let you know when they have it (and when they don't) postflop. So when a guy who doesn't put in any postflop money check/raises you on the flop, it doesn't matter that there was only an x% chance of him hitting his hand: he ~100% has it right now.

GimoG

Hi all,

2/5, five handed, utg 25 y/o opens (opening too wide..has opened his last three UTGs and is Cbetting low frequency) to $20, btn is 50 y/o white guy makes it $55, hero has 99 in big blind $300 eff. Have only been at table 15 minutes. Gii 60bb eff. or fold? Can’t just call at this stack depth I don’t think.

What’s the bottom of your jamming range here?

Thanks,
DT

Easy fold for me. These 2 players are effectively completely unknowns if you've only been at table 15". never 4 betting allin here w/99.

Curious why are you sitting down at 2/5 with only 300? You're a very experienced player per your blog/thread.

My bottom of jamming range here vs 2 unknowns= AK, QQ+

reads on Button are crucial here. readless it's a fold and at 60bb it's probably a fold anyway

Do you make anything of his small 3! sizing? I have seen recs do this a lot with AK.

The only reads I had were that utg was probably too loose from early position and btn could have recognized that too and was 3! a little lighter.

DT - I fist pump fold the 99 here v unknown 50 year old 3!

For what its worth I have seen a handful of 50+ year olds make that adjustment over the years

No reads I think QQ+/AK is a jam at 60bb.

Thanks everyone! I am probably just way off my game, been losing a lot lately and playing worse as a result. :P

Results hero ships btn calls hero flops 9, river Q, btn shows QQ.

DT - anyone that has played real volume has been through a version of this. When everything I do seems to be wrong I take a step back and get back to simple fundamentals.

Tight up front
value based
abc kind of stuff

As I get my mojo back I start re expanding ranges etc

Its no biggy. You identified that you are currently not at your best. Tighten up, no fancy stuff, get back into the rhythm, book a few decent sessions, mojo will return.

Let's take the example you've given, AQ vs A5. This means the flop will give 3 of the remaining 48 cards. The number of possible combinations of 48 cards chosen 3 at a time is 48!/(3!*45!) or 48*47*46/6 which equals 17,296. You can view the formula for combinations of n subjects selected r at a time, with n and r both integers, here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=comb...hrome&ie=UTF-8

For you to end up behind to two split pair there are 2 remaining aces * 3 remaining 5s * 40 other cards (remember we need to exclude your Qs), or 240 possible flops.

240/17296 = ~1.4%, so you were close. You are going to cost yourself money trying to find hero folds. I know losing a big pot to crappy two pair hands sucks, but if your opponents couldn't win some money this way they'd all quit.

QFT!

What’s the gen pop read on an out of shape white guy wearing an nba jersey, without a shirt underneath, from one team and an nba hat of a different team?

I just recently put 180+ bbs in preflop with 99, but I view this particular spot at 60bbs to be a super easy fold. I'm not sure what you are hoping for..that he has AK or is wider with like AJ/QJ type hands and we are flipping?

In the games I play in, players do 3bet wider than they used to. Certain players like to 3bet hands like suited wheel Aces and potentially much wider on the button with hands they view as playable. However, the villain in your hand does not fit the typical description of someone I'd expect to be playing so sophisticated. Sometimes a player like that will do something stupid like 3bet pre with a smaller pocket pair but you really need to observe him making such plays before acting on it.

I do think playing 5 handed likely influenced your decision. Short-handed does not mean 99 is suddenly the nuts preflop vs live players who likely aren't even adjusting their 3betting range.

One of Two

A reg who has been playing for years. Plays a lag style preflop but weighted towards value on turns and rivers. Tries to appear splashy, but probably isnt.

Or a random drunk guy at 2am with no chance of leaving with any money.

Would have to see white guy..old white guy? OMC? Or some reg looking guy? If he seems at all competent then I'd jam 99+ ATs+ KQs. If he looks remotely nittish like he's reading a book or something then I'd jam JJ+ AQs+

100% chance he's a ****

Am I a talented aggro budding LAG or is this spew?

Hero just sat down and doesn't know either V but suspects V2 might be a loose passive (/spoiler/ he was a loose passive). V1 is young asian kid that H suspects will be super aggro but has never seen before. Almost in a total vacuum. V1 has 400$, V2 has 300$, H has 300$. 1/3 NL.

Folds to H in LJ who opens AcJs for 10, folds to V1 in SB who pops to 30, V2 calls 30 in BB, H calls.

Flop 90 - 9c - 8d - 5s

checks through

Turn 90 - 9c - 8d - 5s - 7c (H has the Ac),

checks to H a second time so he decides to stab thinking 1. he might be bluffing with the best hand some of the time, 2. he can barrel on a club repping nut flush, 3. He can improve to the nuts with a T, 4. A random 1pair hand has trouble holding on and PFR could just have AQ or AK and fold (hence the bluff).

H bets 50 into 90, V1 folds, V2 tank calls.

River 190 - 9c - 8d - 5s - 7c - 7h (clubs miss, board pairs)

V2 checks to H who bets 110.

In my games. If you check flop. 95% of players in the room are calling the next two streets with J4

Ambivalent Personality Disorder. Unable to make decisions.

Ok here’s a weird one I played today. I don’t think it’s worth a thread but maybe I’ll post?

Super deep 2/5 game, I have probably 2k and people have between 200-400 BB with me. Tight guy raises EP to 25, CC, I call OTB with 9s8s, SB 3-bets to 85 (new to the game), BB calls, everyone calls.

Pot is 400

Flop is K99tt, SB bets 175, EP PFR calls, cold caller calls, I call.

Pot is 1150

Turn is 8, bringing in a back door flush draw.

SB leads 200, PFR calls, CC folds, I call.

Pot is 1750

River is a 7, BD flush comes in but no SF possible.

SB leads 200 again, PFR shoves 800, I tank and call (I figure if I shove over him the PFR folds everything that isn’t KK).

SB instantly shoves over me. Another 750ish to me.

I agonize for a minute because I should beat absolutely nothing at this point. I strongly suspect the original PFR had a BD flush so I’m not worried about him.

I am already writing my money off and throw in a chip to call because I’m not good enough to fold. I announce “9’s full” and fastroll (I had said during my tank that I have a full house but can’t imagine the other guy has anything less than KK) everyone mucks??

SB had 96hh and was in third place? PFR didn’t show but said he had KQcc and I believed him.

Can I ever fold there?

This may not surprise anyone, but the game was especially good today.

No. You can never fold there unless it is an OMC who made a preflop raise and made sure to get it in with KK. You lose to K9s and KK, 4 total combos. You beat 77, 88, 4 total combos and the other random hands terrible players think are good there for deep stacks. So you are good at least half the time if not way more vs bad players. And getting a much better price than that.

You shouldn't really even consider making a big fold like that without reads. Live players do lots of stupid crap.

This was basically a NL fur coat dilemma hand. My inner limit self forced me to throw a single chip in against my better judgement, thank god.